While it is sometimes tagged as biographical, at no point do the words “Based on a True Story” ever appear in the film Amadeus, or on any of its packaging. While even films that are “based on a true story” or “true events” can merely take an outline or moment of something that actually happened, craft an entirely different story and still say it’s based on true events without truly lying (this is often found in the horror genre), Amadeus is more of a dramatic period piece that plays off like it’s biographical, when it’s actually a fictitious account of the rivalry between two real people, composer Antonio Salieri and the one and only Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The closest we get to any true events is that Salieri actually suffered from dementia in his latter years and claimed to have poisoned and killed Mozart. The film begins with an old Salieri ranting about having killed Mozart and attempts to take his own life because of the madness he’s fallen into. Salieri is played by F. Murray Abraham, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work here, and the story is told through his eyes. Upon being visited by a priest at the psychiatric hospital he now resides in after surviving his attempted suicide, Salieri begins to give his confession, which takes us back to his younger years when he first crossed paths with Mozart (played by Tom Hucle, who was also nominated alongside Abraham for Best Actor.)
What’s instantly so engrossing about the film is how the story is told. Adapted from his own stage play of the same name, Peter Shaffer beautifully weaves together a story that takes us to key points in the past, while seamlessly returning to the present to capture glimpses of the priest’s reactions to Salieri’s tale as the intensity continues to grow. The film is 160 minutes long, yet the story is told in a way that’s so captivating and well paced that it never feels as though it overstays its welcome. The tension builds slowly, yet never wavers and much like Mozart says about one of his pieces of work in the film, “There just as many notes as I required, neither more, nor less.” There’s never a moment in the film that feels like it doesn’t belong, or causes the film to tread water. Everything moves the plot forward, and everything is exactly where it is for a reason.
Amadeus is a story of jealousy, arrogance, music and murder. Salieri’s jealousy for the natural talent that flows through Mozart is simply too much for him to bear, as it’s a level of talent that he can never achieve, no matter how much his heart desires to do so. What angers him more is the infantile attitude of Mozart, who knows how talented he is and because of this he focuses his attention on flirting with women and drinking. Mozart goofs around and gets drunk, and yet much to Salieri’s dismay, none of this affects the young man’s talents in any way. In fact, upon reading his original works when presented with them, Salieri discovers that there are no adjustments or rewrites anywhere, and it’s there that Salieri truly understands that Mozart is a different breed who sees the music in his head entirely and simply writes it down on paper with ease. Absolute perfection without a second thought – and this infuriates Salieri to the point where he vows to take it upon himself to destroy Mozart, not only because of his disdain for the man, but also to spite God for giving such a man the gifts that Salieri could only ever dream of.
The film is directed by Milos Forman, who truly pulled the best out of everyone that worked on the project. From set design to costumes to what I’m sure was a splendid catering crew, everything that Forman could have wanted from his film is handled to perfection across the board. Shaffer’s script is spot on at every turn, and both would go on to win Oscars for their respective work here – and rightfully so. There’s such an interesting story behind the story, which can be viewed on the special features in the “Making of Amadeus,” where you can find out just how much the cast and crew had to go through on a day-to-day basis with where they were filming.
Honestly, words just can’t do the film justice, as it really is a film that must be seen in order to be appreciated on the level that it deserves. One may notice that the case does say this is the “Theatrical Cut,” as there was a Director’s Cut done that added 20 minutes to the film. I haven’t seen it myself, however I’ve read that many prefer the Theatrical Cut simply because unlike this version, the extra time does feel like extra time and breaks what is otherwise a perfectly paced film. The remastering of Amadeus breathes new life into what truly is a timeless classic that deserves to be celebrated in all of its fresh 4K glory by both new and old generations alike.
Overall Movie Score: 5/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
This is a gorgeous remastering and restoration that was completed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and succeeds masterfully in preserving the film in a way that will allow it to live on for generations to come. While the opening scene does have quite a bit of grain to it, once inside Salieri’s home things clean right up and we’re given a picture quality that lives up to what the film deserves. There are beautiful scenic shots, with the film being shot in Prague, and it all comes to life wonderfully here thanks to the hard work done to likely painstakingly bring this film back to its theatrical cut in such fashion. The film grain is natural and allows the film to keep the feel of the time while also looking as new as one could hope. This is a 4K restoration that belongs in every film buff’s collection, whether you’ve seen the film before or not.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that delivers on all fronts. There are many dialogue driven scenes that see characters take center stage and there’s never an inability to hear them speak, and these moments are often capped off or lead into a musical number that rumbles through the speakers in loud, yet clear fashion. The music and dialogue work together harmoniously, never battling for center stage and only helping lift one another up. This mix alongside the restored picture is as good as it gets for classic films that deserve preservation.
Special Features:
The Making of Amadeus – This is a new feature added for this release, which is just over 23-minutes in length and sees the cast and crew reminiscing about the making of the film. Abraham and Hulce are found here via webcam, as are everyone else. It’s a nice piece for fans of the film that want to see and hear from those involved in the production all these years later.
Legacy Feature:
The Making of Amadeus – This is the beefier 60-minute feature that was released previously but is welcome here so that there’s no need to double-dip or trade off discs when wanting to revisit extras. This one comes from 2002, but still holds up and is full of fantastic information that should definitely be watched by enjoyers of the film or the filmmaking process.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Amadeus. Directed by: Milos Forman. Written by: Peter Shaffer. Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Kenny Baker, Christine Ebersole, Cynthia Nixon. Running time: 160 Minutes. Rating: PG. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Feb. 25, 2025.
About Brendan Campbell
